Starting January 1, 2026, Pembroke, Ontario residents will transition their residential Blue Box program to Ontario’s province‑wide Enhanced Recycling System. The city says collection days and curbside procedures will remain the same; behind the scenes, funding and program administration will move to Circular Materials, a national not‑for‑profit program administrator acting on behalf of producers.
Under the new system, packaging producers cover recycling costs and residents will be able to put more items into their blue boxes. Examples of newly accepted materials include hot and cold beverage (coffee) cups, black plastic containers, flexible film and pouches, plastic straws and stir sticks, toothpaste and deodorant tubes, and ice cream tubs. Sorting rules and a unified materials list will apply across Ontario for a consistent provincial program.
The City of Pembroke will hand administrative responsibility for the residential Blue Box program to Circular Materials; contracts and program funding will be managed by the provincial administrator on behalf of producers. For questions about what goes in the blue box or other service details, residents should consult Circular Materials’ expanded materials list or the City of Pembroke’s garbage and recycling page, which includes a transition notice and links to local resources such as the Ottawa Valley Waste Recovery Centre.
Small businesses, schools and other institutions should plan to arrange private recycling contracts by January 1, 2026. The provincial program covers residential properties only, and curbside collection for many IC&I locations that had used municipal routes will end — affected organizations are encouraged to secure new service agreements soon to avoid a lapse in service.
